Losing Way & Coming Back
by TheAngelofFate
Summary: Two months after the incident in Cuba, Erik hasn't regretted what he's done, he believes he did the right thing. How will he feel when he realizes that his actions in Cuba cost Charles his legs.


AN: Okay remember when I said I would do a one-shot about Erik finding out Charles was in a wheelchair and his reaction to that? Well that's exactly what I'm doing. So I hope you all enjoy this. If Erik, Charles or Raven are OOC here, then well I tried my best ya know!

Read and Review, it would really make my day.

* * *

Erik- Or Magneto as he has instructed his recruits to address him as such and nothing else, was currently standing by a big opened window. But he wasn't looking at the senery. No, he was waiting for Mystique to return. It had been two months since the incident on that small island in Cuba. Two months since he killed Shaw, Two months since he attempted to kill thousands of men on those war ships, two months since he left Charles.

And ever since then, he has been wonder how his friend has been doing, when he left Charles was in bad shape, Erik has been trying to bury his concern, seeing as now him and Charles were on different sides. Yes, for the past two months that is what he _tried _to do, but he couldn't any longer. He had to know how Charles was, so that is why he was waiting for Mystique.

Erik would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't miss the telepath. He did, in fact, very much so. He missed the chess games they use to play, he missed conversations they would have, missed the silence that would pass between them when there was nothing else to say, missed how Charles understood him and his tortured mind, missed his friends smile, his laughter. He just missed _Charles_. Hell, the only reason he broke Frost out of jail was because he wanted the company of a telepath, seeing if that would feel the void, it didn't.

"_Caw Caw!_" Magneto looked up, a black bird was coming toward him. _Raven. _He thought stepping out of the way to give her room. She flew into the room, and landed on the ground gracefully, then a second later she was back to Mystique again.

"Well?" He asked as he stood there, impatiently.

She didn't answer.

"Mystique?" Erik said, a small pit appeared in his stomach.

The shapeshifter sniffed then let out a hitched breathe.

That action alone, made the pit grow larger. "Raven?"

At her real name, she finally turned around and faced the metal bender. Raven had tears in her eyes and a few were falling down her cheeks, making them look blue. "What is it?" was what he was going to ask, only Raven didn't give him a chance.

"Charlescan'twalk." She said too fast. Erik was only able to get 'Can't' and 'Walk'.

"Who can't walk?" Magneto said crossing his arms.

"_Charles_!" Raven said her voice crack a little, she flinched as if it physically hurt her to say the name.

Erik couldn't quite grasp what she was saying. "What do you mean-"

"Charles. Can't. Walk! He's in a wheelchair, Erik!"

Erik stood by the window, frozen. A shocked expression on his face. His arms went to his sides. _A wheelchair? _"How did he-" The metal bender cut himself off as the realization set in. The bullet. The bullet that Moira shot at him, the bullet that _he _deflected, the one that went into Charles' lower back, back in Cuba.

He closed his eyes. Overwhelming guilt crashed into him so suddenly he had to sit down on the bed. _This is my fault. If I hadn't been so blind...Because_ he had given into his anger, his revenge, it cost Charles his legs. His friend _could not _walk anymore, forced to now be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, all cause of Erik's actions.

Raven sniffed again, she whipped the tears from her face, but new ones just filled those spots. _This must be worse for her. _Erik realized, he sent Raven to check on Charles for two reasons. One: Because he also knew she wanted to know how her brother was, and Two: Because Erik assumed he wasn't welcome there anymore. If he had known that Charles' condition was this severe, he wouldn't have sent her at all.

Erik got up and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, she looked at him with sad, pained yellow eyes. She then layed her head on Erik's armored shoulder, as she let a few more tears fall from her eyes and allowed a small sob to escape past her lips. The metal bender rubbed his hand up and down her arm, and kissed the top of her head. They stay like that for a minute or two.

Mystique lifted her head up, taking a deep breathe. Magneto squeezed her shoulder gently. He whipped a tear away from her face. "You should go rest, you've had a long day, Raven." Erik stated softly. Trying to gulp down her many emotions, Raven nodded as she open the door and walked out. Erik sighed, happening to glance at the full body mirror on the wall, his suit matched the color of the metal helmet on his head. The one he uses to keep Charles out of his mind. He hasn't taken the thing off in two months, but not because he was afriad of the telepath taking control of him, but cause Erik knew if he heard that voice then he would come back to the Mansion without a second thought.

He frowned, frustrated with the situation. But then saw a sight that made his blood freeze. His face, the stare, the helmet, how he was shutting out Charles, how he hated humans and wanted their destruction. _Oh god... _He was Shaw. He had become the man he absolutely loathed, the man who killed his mother, tortured him physically and mentally all his life!

...But there was something that made them different. Shaw had servants, had "friends". But he didn't have anyone like Charles, not like Erik did, not like Erik hope he still did. Magneto walked out into the halls of their hideout.

"Frost, Azazel." He called out. Azazel teleported in front of him as Frost walked out of her room. "Get the others and get us some transportation, there's some where we need to go."

* * *

"How're you doing today, Professor?"

"I'm fine, Hank. Just like yesterday and the day before that." Charles stated to the blue-furred scientist, as he wheeled his way a crossed the halls of his home.

"That's good, considering..." Hank trailed off as he realzied what he was about to say as he glanced at Charles' legs. He smiled sadly. "It's been two months, Hank. You can say it."

"It's still hard to believe."

"I know." Charles sighed running a hand through his hair. He agreed with Hank, it was still hard to believe he could no longer walk, to be _so _use to then abruptly have it taken away from you, it was _very_ hard to cope or adjust to and sometimes when he wakes up in the morning, Charles forgots that he can't move his lower body and tears form in his eyes.

"...Do you blame him? Or hate him?"

Charles would relive those moments in Cuba when he was alone everynight. Wanting to see if there was some way he could have changed things, if he had done something differently, if he had tried to help Erik more, then maybe all that happened, losing his legs, Erik leaving and Raven going with him, wouldn't have transpired.

"No, on both accounts. I can't, because it wasn't his fault." Charles told Hank honestly.

"But he's the one who deflected the bullet-" The beastly scientist said incredulously.

"That maybe true, but I still don't blame him." and it was true, he didn't, in fact he doesn't even believe Erik's evil, as Hank, Alex and Sean keep pointing out. Charles just believes he's lost his way, fueled by emotions that Charles can't blame him for having. And the telepath hopes one day he'll realizes that what he's doing isn't the right way to handle things. And when or if Erik does, the Manor doors will be open for him and Raven. Until then Charles would wait.

_Prof! Prof!_ Came Sean's panicked yell in his head, he flinched at the volume.

_Sean, calm down. What's wrong? _Charles asked putting two fingers to his temple.

_There's this big black car at the front gates, it's just sitting there. Should Havok and I, like attack it? _

The seventeen year old telepath shook his head. _No, Sean, you and Alex stay where you are, I'll be there soon. _He looked at Hank "We have to go to the front entrance, Hank." Charles announced to his friend, ho nodded, with it hesitation. Not even bothering to ask why.

"Okay."

It took longer to get to the gates since Charles couldn't use the stairs. But soon they were at their destination. Opening the wooden doors he saw that Sean hadn't taken his comand and not attacked, or maybe Alex hadn't. For they both were engaged in a fight against the occupants of the car. Emma Frost, Azazel... Erik and Raven?

"Raven? Erik?" He whispered in disbelief, was he dreaming again? Was his mind filled with too many thoughts it was playing tricks on him?

Alex, Erik and Azazel were fighting, though unlike Alex, Erik wasn't hitting back, and neither was Azazel, Raven also wasn't using her full skill set, as she and Frost fought Sean.

They weren't here to fight. None of them were.

"Stop!" Charles called out, pulling his wheelchair to a complete stop. And just like that, it stopped. Everyone froze. Everyone looked at him. Waiting for what was going to come next.

Which was silence, everyone and everything was so still and noiseless, that for a second Charles thought he made the world stop spinning. The telepath realized it wasn't, when Raven started walking forward, towards her brother. She had tears falling from her yellow eyes as she made her way over, he felt the sadness and guilt coming from her in waves.

Raven knelt down in front of him, he stared at her and she stared back. Then he placed a hand on her cheek. In that one motion, the dam broke, as she crumpled into him. Charles wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"I'm sorry, Charles!" she cried out, muffled against his clothing.

"It's alright, Raven, it's alright. Don't cry." He said to her, noticing tears were falling from his eyes as well. _God, I missed you. _

_I missed you too. _She lifted her head up and smiled. Which he returned immediately. Raven then stood up and turned her head, looking at Erik. who's thoughts Charles had no idea were about because of the helmet he was wearing. What he _could _see from his friend, was that he looked awfully pale, Erik looked like he was about to be sick. He mimicked Raven and began walking toward them.

Hank then leaped out in front of him and grabbed Erik by the throat, but didn't apply any pressure. "Don't come any further!" He growled, a death threat, a warning, not to push him. Charles wasn't going to have any of that.

"Hank, let him go. _Hank_!" He ordered. _Calm, Hank. Be calm. _Hank tossed Erik away from him, he landed back where he was. Erik shot up like a top, angry.

He glared at Hank, then his hands shot upward, yanking his helmet off his head and threw it to the ground a few feet away. He then crossed his arms as if to say "I'm here as Erik, _not _Magneto!"

His mind was exposed for the first time in months. And Charles saw everything, he _felt _everything, just as he did when he saved the older man from drowning, from what felt like years ago. But what made this time different, was that his friend was letting him. Erik push past Hank, he stared straight at crippled seventeen year old's face.

_I know that I'll never be able to change what I've done, to the world, to Raven, to myself, you. I know that I don't have the right to be here, or will never be able to make it up to any of you. But I'm damn well sure am going to try._

His friend knelt down in front of him, placing his gloved hand on top of his.

_Oh, my friend. You already have. _

A tear slid down Erik's cheek without his permission.

_I'm sorry, Charles. If I hadn't been so blind, so idiotic... If I had known the condition you were in, I wouldn't have left... Dammit, Charles. You can no longer walk, and it's my fault... All I can say is that I am truly sorry, brother. _

Charles shook his head, squeezing his friend's hand in reassurance. His vision became blurry, as he stared at Erik. _I don't blame you, Erik. I don't. I blame myself, for letting you leave, but I knew it was something you had to do. But it's not your fault. So there is nothing to apologize for. _

Silence passed between them. The two of them took comfort just knowing that the other was there. Erik suddenly started laughing softly, Charles joined him.

_I missed you, Charles_

_I missed you too, Erik_

"So" Erik said standing up. "I don't suppose we could... come inside?"

"Of course you can, Erik. What? Did you think I gave away your rooms?"

"Actually, yes I did."

Charles let out a chuckled breathe, shaking his head, as he wheeled his chair toward the Manor. Erik and Raven followed. "No, your room is still yours."

"Mine too?" Raven asked a grin on her face, looking like the 10 year old girl Charles swore he'd look after.

"Yes, yours too."

"Strange. I thought this place would be craweling with kids. Do you have _any _one else here besides those three?"

"Yes, I have a girl that can control the weather, Alex's little brother Scott, and a boy that goes by Nightcrawler. Others have been located, but going by myself is taking it's tool. Would you care to join me?"

"Of course, it'll be like old times." The metal bender said

"Old times? Erik, I do believe your eye sight has gone since you've been away. For as you can see I am not old."

A hand landed on top of the telepath's' head. "Are you sure? I think you need to look at yourself in the mirror Charles, if I'm not mistaken I see some greys throughout your hair. Or worse, I think you might be losing it." Erik laughed as he ruffled the younger man's brown hair. Charles pushed his hand away gently, as he let out a loud, joyful laugh.

Hank watched the three of them go inside the Manor. He knew Charles was acting differently, he has been more quiet and smiled less, the light in his eyes didn't seem all that bright as it was before in these months. Sure he tried to hide it, but Hank knew him, as did Alex and Sean. They all tried to talk to him about it, but he just denied it and said he was fine. This. Charles needed this. He needed his sister and his best friend to come back home.

"So what? Everything's fine now?" Alex announced perplexed as he scratched the back of his blonde hair.

"Yeah, I mean. That's it?" Sean asked baffeled by this whole incident.

Hank turned to them both, even to Frost and Azazel, he smiled.

"That's it."

* * *

AN: PHEW! This was longer then I thought it was going to be. But I'm proud this, I think I did a good job. I don't think I'll ever get tired of Charles and Erik's friendship, I swear sometimes I think I'm the only one who just see them as best friends or brothers.

Oh and Yeah I know Scott is Alex's older brother not younger, but they never mention who's older or younger so there you go.

Anyway I hope you peoples enjoyed my second X-Men one-shot, Please remember to REVIEW, it would make my day.

See you guys soon.


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